Exactly!
You and your generation weren’t raised to be protected and have your hand held at all times. You learned that actions have consequences and learned that being stupid can get you hurt and in trouble. Parents understood that their kids could NOT afford to be sheltered from the ugliness of the world and had to be prepared as early as possible, within reasonable boundaries. It wasn’t just explained that getting into a car with a weirdo was bad, but DANGEROUS and it was DRILLED.
I’m utterly aghast at how so many kids are blithely going through life, basically thinking that a safe space will always be waiting for them, as if they’re entitled to a safe space.
You are so right. I remember the neighborhood kids telling me to throw a water balloon at a car passing by. It was a suburban street; he was going slow.
I wanted them to like me, so I did it.
The guy got out of his car, ran after me then threw me up against the garage of a neighbor’s house— I was 13— I never did anything like that again.
Sometimes you just have to learn. You can’t do that if you don’t have a chance to experience life.